For the past couple of years I have worked on fixing things ahead of time on the weekend so when I got home from work, I could just heat up the main dish and add some sides. I've tried different cook books and web sites and have found some fabulous casseroles.
I recently checked a book out of the library called "Casserole Crazy" by Emily Farris. Emily apparently lives in New York, but grew up in the Midwest. In her book she talks about how many of her NY friends wouldn't have given a casserole a second thought until she started making them and letting them come and enjoy them. She now has casserole parties where folks have to bring a casserole following a few guidelines. She said it has become very popular with her crowd and they email their recipes to each other after the event.
She also wrote about how casseroles often helped families in the 50s and 60 stretch their food dollar. That I would have to agree with as well. I can take a whole chicken (not a tiny one) and get 3-4 casseroles or dishes from it and sometimes even have chicken broth left over to freeze.
There are a few recipes I'm tempted to try in her book, but like most cook books I encounter, it isn't one I would use every recipe. But it was an interesting read nonetheless.
I guess it's time for me to push away from the computer and get my casserole dishes started!
Crazy for Casseroles...or how I learned to love the hot dish!
May 1st, 2010 at 02:22 pm
May 1st, 2010 at 06:14 pm 1272737687
Welcome! I like your idea of making casseroles to save money and most important time. I prepare some foods in advance also to freeze. One of the food items I make in advance is beans (Spanish style). I make two pounds batches and labeled them and in the freezer they go. I look forward to reading your posts.
May 1st, 2010 at 08:48 pm 1272746931
Just a side note, my first name is Debbie.
May 1st, 2010 at 11:43 pm 1272757389
May 2nd, 2010 at 01:02 am 1272762121
May 2nd, 2010 at 07:25 pm 1272828341
Have you tried allrecipes.com? They seem to have a lot of casserole recipes.